


Eight is Enough

by mcgarrygirl78



Series: Thicker than Water [34]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drama, F/M, Family, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-10-20
Updated: 2011-10-20
Packaged: 2017-10-24 19:36:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/267093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The poor kid; she really needed some good luck on her side after all that she’d been through. Barely eight, she already expected this to go bad because that’s what she was used to. No kid should be used to that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Eight is Enough

**Author's Note:**

> This is the 40th story in the Thicker than Water universe. Who knew when I wrote the first story 14 months ago that I would even have little ficlets in this universe, much less forty of them? And here I am at #40 and bringing in a new member into the family. It’s been an amazing ride with these young characters and their journey. I am so thankful to everyone who’s taken it with me.

“I'm so nervous.” Emily wrung her hands as Jason turned the Woody onto the quiet Chevy Chase street. It was drizzling so no one was around even though it was a warm day.

“Why?” he glanced at her.

“I don't know. I really want Ashley to like us. I've never done this before Jason. This may sound silly but I feel like we’re adopting a kid or something.”

“It’s something like that. I remember when JJ first came to live with us. I was nervous. I knew I had to talk to her about her personal life and ask her grownup questions. I didn’t know if she had mental or physical ailments. It’s a very big step. I'm honestly glad that I'm not doing it alone anymore.”

He pulled up in front of the house but didn’t turn into the driveway. Erin’s Volvo and Dave’s Mangusta were already parked there. Jason cut the engine and looked at Emily.

“Are you ready?” he asked.

“Let me just count to fifty.”

“OK.” Jason didn’t want to laugh but he couldn’t help it.

“Be nice to me.” she thumped his leg.

“I love you.” he kissed her cheek. “And you're going to do great in there.”

Emily smiled. She took one more deep breath and they got out of the car. Quickly walking up the driveway and onto the porch, Jason rang the bell. The front door was open and he saw Erin walking to the door with Nicholas right on her feet. The 2 year old grinned when he saw them.

“Giddy! Giddy!” he held up his arms for Jason to pick him up as they walked into the house.

“Hey Nicky!” Jason picked him up, threw him into the air as his mother covered his eyes, and then he hugged him. “What’s shakin?”

Both of the kids called him Giddy, some childlike form of Gideon. It always made Emily smile. Erin smiled too. She kissed Jason’s cheek and said a formal but warm hello to Emily.

“They're in the den.” She said. “It’s someone’s naptime.”

“No Mommy.” Nicky held tighter to Jason’s neck.

“Yes, c'mon you.” Erin took him from Jason’s arms. Nicholas whined a little but Erin gave him the teddy bear she was holding and that seemed to pacify him some.

Emily watched them go upstairs and then followed Jason into the den. It was still so strange to see Erin as a mother. As far as Emily knew she didn’t even like kids. Or maybe it was just them that she didn’t like. Over the years she’d formed a real bond with Penelope, and even JJ to a point. She never understood Spencer, dealt with Morgan with professionalism, couldn’t stand Hotch, and of course loved Jason with all her heart.

Emily didn’t know how Erin felt about her. She’d been there for some tough times, like the Sarah Bickle debacle. But to call them friends would be insane. They’d come to a tentative peace accord because they both loved Jason and weren't going anywhere. If that’s what it took then they were willing to work at making it work.

In the den they found Dave sitting on the couch with Ashley. The seven year old wore faded blue jeans with a patch on the left knee and a camouflage tee shirt. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she had a goofy green and white trucker cap on. With her soft blue eyes she immediately reminded Jason of JJ.

She had that same steely look in her eyes. The difference was you didn’t have to dig much past the surface to see the vulnerability. JJ would probably curl up and die before she let it show to strangers. It was written all over Ashley’s face. Of course she was just seven; JJ had been 11 when Jason first met her.

“Hey Dave.” Jason held up his hand to wave.

“Hey guys.” Dave stood and smiled. “Jason Gideon and Emily Prentiss, this is Ashley Seaver.”

“Hi Ashley.” Emily smiled.

“Hey.” She spoke quietly.

“I’ll leave you guys alone to talk for a little while.” Dave said.

Ashley looked as if she wanted to object but Dave put his hand on top of her head.

“I'm just gonna be upstairs, kiddo. If you need me, you can come and get me OK?”

“OK.” She nodded and some of the tension left her shoulders.

When they were alone, there was just silence. Ashley looked at them and they looked back. Emily cleared her throat.

“Do you mind if I sit down?” Emily asked.

“No.” she shook her head.

Emily sat next to her on the couch, giving her enough space to breathe. Jason sat in the chair to Ashley’s right.

“How are you?” Jason asked.

“Fine.” She mumbled, looking down at her black high tops.

“Did Dave talk to you about us?”

“Yeah. He said you wanted me to come live with you; be my new mom and dad.”

“Well, not exactly.” Jason smiled. “We’re a little young for mom and dad.”

“I was kinda thinking the same thing.” Ashley finally looked at him.

“We still want you to come and live with us.” Emily said. “We’re a family and we’re ready to make you a part of it.”

“I don’t understand why I can't just stay here.” She said.

“I know that’s what you want but Dave and Erin have a lot on their plate taking care of Nicky and Nora.” Emily replied. “They both want you to be someplace where you can get all the love and attention you need. It would be so hard for them to give it to you and care for two toddlers.”

“That’s not true. I have to leave cuz Gargamel doesn’t like me.” Ashley said.

Emily covered her mouth, pretending to sneeze to stifle her laughter. Gargamel was a good one; she hadn't heard that one before. Score one for the kid liking The Smurfs. She and Spencer would get along great.

“I assume when you say Gargamel you mean Erin.” Jason said.

“Yeah.” she nodded.

“Ashley, that’s not true. Erin isn’t easy to get to know, I understand that, but she doesn’t hate you. She wants you to be in a loving home just as much as Dave does. We have one for you if you want it.”

“If I don’t then I’ll have to go back to the group home. I'm never ever going back there.”

“No one will force you to stay with us.” Emily replied. “There are surely some other options being looked into for you. Dave said he wouldn’t stop until he found you a safe home. But he trusts us and asked us to open ours first.”

“He said there were other kids my age there.” she said.

“We have JJ, who’s 13, Penelope is 11, and Spencer is 9. There’s also Hotch and Morgan but they're a little older. They’re all excited to meet you if you choose to live with us.”

“If it’s not a group home then why do all those kids live there?” Ashley asked.

“Well, we’re orphans, Ashley, just like you.”

“For real?” she looked at Emily and finally there was something on her face other than resignation.

“For real.” Emily nodded. “We used to be all alone in the world and then we found each other. We made our own family. We love each other and are there for each other. Now we’ll never be alone again. And Dave and Erin help take care of us too.”

“Well what if I don’t like it there?” she asked.

“No one will force you to stay where you don’t want to stay.” Jason said. “But do you think Dave would ask us to look after you if you weren't going to like being with us?”

“No.” she shook her head. “But if I don’t, I can leave right?”

“You cannot run away.” Emily said firmly. “If you don’t like it, just tell us. We’ll bring you back here and Dave will find someplace else for you to live. But no running away. Promise?”

“Yeah.”

“You need to shake on it.” Emily held out her hand.

Ashley almost smiled, reaching out to shake her hand. Then she put her hands back in her lap.

“I’d rather just stay with Dave but if Gargamel is making his life miserable…I don’t want him to blame me and stop liking me.” she said.

“He’ll never stop liking you.” Jason said, wearing a warm smile. “That’s why he’s trying so hard to find a place where you’ll be loved and taken care of. Erin wants the same thing too; it’s the truth.”

“Nobody ever tells me the truth,” Ashley replied. “Dave always did though. Do you promise to always tell me the truth? I'm not a baby; I can handle it.”

“I promise.” Emily said.

“I promise too.” Jason said.

“OK,” she nodded. “Well if I have to go, I guess I can go with you guys. I don’t know anyone else in this town.”

“You'll get to know people.” Jason told her. “Soon you'll go to school and make friends and you’ll have a house full of people that'll be just like having brothers and sisters.”

“I've never had brothers and sisters. The kids at the group home didn’t like me. They said I was a troublemaker like my dad.”

“What do you mean?” Emily asked, her eyes finding Jason’s.

“My dad is a bad man.” Ashley whispered. “They say he killed people.”

Neither one of the teenagers knew what to say. How come she’d never told this to Dave? And if she had, how had he failed to mention it to them? Jason took a deep breath.

“Ashley, you don’t have to become what your father may be. You get to make the decisions about what you want to be when you grow up. Nobody gets to make them for you.”

“This girl at the group home named Sydney said I would have to be a psycho. She’s a psycho cuz her dad was one so I would be too.”

“She lied to you.” Emily said. “Sometimes people are mean and say things to hurt you because they don’t know how to get their hurt out. I know it can be hard not to believe it but bad things can happen and when we’re around people who love us and want what's best for us, we can make it through. Dave would never let anything bad happen to you and neither would we.”

Ashley still had a skeptical look on her face but she nodded anyway. Her mom killed herself, she was addicted to drugs, and her dad was a murderer…what would she become? She thought Dave would love her and take care of her but even he was giving her away. He didn’t want her to make his nice family all dirty with her psycho stuff. Soon Jason and Emily would probably reject her as well. Ashley didn’t belong anywhere.

“I better go and pack my stuff if I'm going to live with you.” she got off the couch and walked out of the room with her head down.

Emily wanted to cry when she saw her walk away like that. How could someone so young be rejected so much? What had it done to the poor kid?

“Jason, this is so sad.” She said.

“Yeah.” he nodded. “A part of me feels like she might need a lot more help than we can offer. Dave might do better to place her with adults who can get her some therapy.”

“I want to try. We have to try. He came to us first for a reason…we can't let her down yet.”

“She could need much more attention than we have to give. I know it doesn't always seem like it but we’re kids, Emily. You’re about to finish up 11th grade and college takes up a lot of my time. And we still like to have a little time to be teenagers. We may lose that if you or I have to devote more time to making Ashley comfortable and loved.”

“I want to try.” She repeated. “I can't let her go on thinking that no one cares. Oh God, I know what that feels like.”

“I know.” He reached for her hand. “If you want to try, we try. But just understand that we might fail and have to let her go someplace where she can get more attention.”

“I understand.” Emily nodded, already knowing that she wasn’t going to give up on Ashley until she absolutely had to. Too many people had done so already.

“Hey,” Dave came into the den. “Where’s Ashley?”

“She said she was going upstairs to get her stuff.” Emily said, standing from the couch.

“Her stuff is right there.” Dave pointed to the green backpack and little bag under the end table by the couch.

“She's running.” Jason said, jumping up out of the chair.

“Dammit! I pushed too much; she thinks I'm rejecting her.” Dave shook his head.

“We have to find her. C’mon Dave, we’ll take my car. She couldn’t have gotten far…she doesn't have anything.”

They rushed out of the house and Emily stood in the middle of the living room floor. Erin came down the stairs and looked around.

“Where’s Jason?” she asked.

“Ashley ran away.” Emily replied.

“She ran away? She was just here ten minutes ago; I saw her come out of the bathroom and go into her bedroom.”

“Well now she's gone. She thinks Dave is rejecting her like everyone else has so she just left.”

“Well she couldn’t have gotten too far, right?”

“I don't know, Erin. She’s a traumatized little girl and this might have been enough to push her right over the edge. Do you have any idea what it feels like to think that no one loves you?”

“I'm very glad to say that I don’t. Despite what you might think about me, Emily, I don’t hate Ashley Seaver. I want her to find a home where she's loved and taken care of. I just don’t think it’s my home. Dave and I have our kids and they're a big responsibility. We chose the responsibility but Ashley needs more attention than both of us can give and be fair to our children.

“I was mad at him when he said he wanted to talk to Jason about taking her in…you guys have enough on your plate as well. But he was insistent; knew you loved kids and made them feel loved. I think he sometimes forgets that you’re 19 and 16. I know I can.”

“We’re taking her in.” Emily replied. “I'm sure they’ll find her and we’ll take her in. It might not be easy but I think we can handle it. She’ll see that there are a lot of kids like her and they can turn out to be healthy, happy, and loving. I think that might be a better thing for her than what someone else might offer. I'm not saying we’re perfect but I do know why Dave picked us. He’s a profiler…he's not often wrong about these things.”

Erin nodded. She felt sorry for Ashley; she had no family and no home. She didn’t want to throw her out in the street. But Erin also had to be a mother to her own children and her top priority as such was keeping them safe. Anything or anyone who might be a hindrance to that could not be in her life. Maybe Ashley wasn’t dangerous; Erin wasn’t a profiler like her husband.

But she knew how attached the kid was to Dave and she wanted his attention. He didn’t have all of that attention to give her. Even a seven year old could wrap her mind around getting rid of other things he was focused on. Dave said she watched too much Lifetime. What Erin wanted to make sure of was that her life didn’t become one of those badly written movies.

“They could be gone awhile.” Erin said. “You'd be surprised how fast that little girl can move. Are you hungry? I was just getting ready to make a late lunch.”

“No thank you.” Emily shook her head. “But I’d love something to drink.”

“Come into the kitchen.”

Emily looked one more time at the door and no one was walking through it. Sighing, she turned and followed Erin into the kitchen.

***

“There she is; pull over Jason.”

Jason pulled the Woody over to the curb and Dave got out. Ashley was just walking down the street, hands in her pockets, like she didn’t have a care in the world. She’d already made it a half mile from Dave’s house and knew she didn’t have anywhere to go. She just needed to break free, breathe, and think about things.

“Ashley! Hey kid, wait up.”

She stopped walking and turned to look at him. Her face was so neutral; Dave didn’t know what to make of it. He saw the streaks where the tears were and knew she’d been crying. That was a good sign; sociopaths don’t cry. He never wanted to think that about her but if she was one, it wouldn’t be her fault.

“I just needed some air.” She said.

“You could’ve gotten some on the back porch…she didn’t have to walk half a mile.”

“Yes I did. I walk when I need to think.”

“What are you thinking about?” Dave asked.

“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “I've caused a lot of trouble. Gar…Erin wants me gone.”

“You know that’s not true.”

“Look, I don’t wanna mess up what you got Dave. You cared and if I did that it would suck. Its not good payback for letting me crash at your place. But maybe its time to go home.”

“You said you never wanted to go back there.”

“I don’t.” her voice shook. “I hate it there!”

“I know.” Dave walked over to her, crouching down in front of her. It was nice to know he could still get down like that but at 52 he might have a little trouble getting up. “You don’t have to go back there. There’s a home here for you, and a family. I'm not rejecting you…I'm just making sure that you're someplace safe and happy. I’ll never be far away.”

“Are they nice?” Ashley asked. “I mean they seem nice but some of those foster homes seemed nice too and then it gets dark and it’s not nice.”

“Jason and Emily and the rest of the family are going to be the nicest people you ever met. I promise.”

“I just don’t want to be moved around anymore.” She sighed. “I don’t wanna pack up stuff and leave stuff behind and say goodbye.”

“This will be your home.” Dave replied. “I'm taking care of everything and Jason and Emily will take care of you. We won't be able to get you in school until next year so you can still come and hang out with Nicky, Nora, and me while everyone is at school. This is gonna be good. You won't have to shuffle around anymore. Do you trust me?”

“I want to.” she said.

“Then trust me on this.”

“What if you're wrong?”

“Then we’ll find someplace else, but I'm not wrong. You should know me by now…when am I wrong?”

“Probably more than you tell me.”

Dave laughed, pulling her ponytail. Ashley managed a little laugh. Then she launched herself into Dave’s arms. He hugged her tight. The poor kid; she really needed some good luck on her side after all that she’d been through. Barely eight, she already expected this to go bad because that’s what she was used to. No kid should be used to that.

“Do I get to call you Uncle Dave now?” she asked, face still buried in his stomach.

“You can call me Uncle Dave if you want to.”

“And you'll come and get me…if I don’t like it there?”

“Yes, I promise. But you should focus on liking it. They’re great people and it’s a great place. OK?”

“I guess.”

“C'mon, kiddo,” Dave put his arm around her and they walked back to the car.

He opened the back door for Ashley and she climbed in. Dave got into the front passenger seat.

“Sorry I bolted.” She said. “Force of habit.”

“I understand.” Jason replied. “Buckle up, OK?”

“OK.”

The ride back to the house was quiet. All three of them had things they wanted to say but chose not to. When they returned, Erin and Emily were in the kitchen.

“Is everything alright?” Emily asked.

“I'm gonna come and stay with you guys.” Ashley said. “That is if you still want me to.”

“Of course we do.” Emily put her hand on Ashley’s shoulder. She didn’t shrink or move away, which was a good sign. “We’re happy to have you.”

“OK. I better get my stuff.”

“I’ll go with you.” Jason said.

She nodded and they walked into the den. Emily looked at Dave.

“Is she going to be OK?”

“I don't know; I hope so.”

“I don’t know if you know but she knows about her father.”

“What?” Dave’s expression changed. “She never told me that. Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I think one of the kids at the home told her. We’ll do our best to take care of her.”

“I’d like to reiterate thinking this is a bad idea.” Erin said. “She probably needs serious attention.”

“No offense, but you thought the same about JJ.” Emily replied. “Now you let her baby-sit your children. Just give us all a chance; that’s all we've ever asked.”

“You’ve already had to grow up enough.” Erin said.

“Believe me, I know. We’re OK Erin, and if we need something we’re not afraid to ask.”

She wasn’t going to say anything else. She’d already told Dave it was up to him to make all the paperwork right in this case…she wasn’t saving anymore strays. It may have seemed harsh but enough was enough. Erin had to put her foot down sometime. This was it.

“We’re ready.” Jason and Ashley came back in the room. He was carrying her little duffle while she wore her backpack on her back.

“Hey,” Dave came and put both hands on her shoulders. “I’ll see you soon cuz you know you're gonna hang out here with me and the munchkins until we can get you enrolled in school.”

“I know.” She nodded. “Thanks Dave.”

They shared a hug and then she went to walk out of the room. Erin’s voice stopped her.

“Goodbye, Ashley.”

“Bye.” She didn’t even turn around as she kept walking.

Jason put on a smile as he took Emily’s hand.

“We’ll talk soon.” He kissed Erin’s cheek. “See ya Dave.”

“I don’t know how to thank you for this.” Dave said.

“Don’t thank me yet…we don’t know if its gonna work.”

“You're trying, and that means a lot to me.”

“See ya later.” Emily said as they left the kitchen and the house.

Dave turned to look at his wife.

“I think this is going to work.” He said.

“What makes you so sure?”

“I have a sixth sense about these things. She’s upset right now but I bet those kids will bring a big smile to her face.”

“I hope you're right, David. With all she’s already been through she doesn’t need another disappointment in her life. I'm sorry I had to play the bad guy in this again.”

“Don’t be that way, Erin.” He came and put his arms around her. “I understood a lot of your reasoning. And I think with this distance between you, you will come to see that Ashley is a good kid. All she needs is a chance.”

Ashley was quiet in the car as Jason made his way back to DC. Emily asked her if she wanted some music but she just shook her head and looked out the window at the rain that was falling steadier now. Another home, another set of faces and personalities she was going to have to get to know. She was scared but would be strong; she’d done this before. What she was facing had to be better than what was in North Dakota.

Ashley didn’t want to be the daughter of a psycho whose mom hated her so much she had to kill herself to get away. Maybe she could be someone different here. Jason told her that she got to decide who she wanted to be…no one ever told her that before. Not even Dave. She knew that she didn’t want to be lonely, scared, or constantly on the run anymore.

Dave hadn't broken a promise to her yet and he promised that this was going to be a good move for her. Now Ashley just had to believe. She didn’t know how to do that but she knew she had to try. If Jason and Emily and Dave were going to try, she could do it too.

***


End file.
